Duke Energy Joins Careers Electric Coalition to Strengthen North Carolina’s Skilled Trades Pipeline

As North Carolina continues to attract advanced manufacturing, data centers, energy projects, and infrastructure investment, one challenge has emerged as a common denominator across nearly every major project: finding enough skilled electricians.

To help address that challenge, Duke Energy has joined the newly launched Careers Electric coalition, a national workforce initiative focused on expanding pathways into electrical careers and strengthening the skilled trades workforce.

The effort brings together leading companies, workforce organizations, educational institutions, and public-sector partners to develop a coordinated, industry-driven approach to training the next generation of electricians. The coalition’s initial focus will be North Carolina, where rapid economic growth and increasing electrification are driving demand for skilled electrical workers.

Meeting a Growing Workforce Need

The need is significant. Electrical occupations are projected to grow by approximately 10% over the next decade, fueled by investments in energy infrastructure, advanced manufacturing, electric vehicles, battery production, data centers, and grid modernization. At the same time, a large portion of the existing workforce is nearing retirement, creating a widening talent gap.

For owners, contractors, and developers, workforce availability has become as critical to project delivery as supply chains, permitting, and capital investment.

The Careers Electric coalition aims to address those challenges by connecting workforce development directly to industry demand.

Duke Energy’s Role

As one of the nation’s largest energy companies, Duke Energy plans to leverage its position as both an owner and major builder of energy infrastructure to help align workforce training with real-world employment opportunities.

The company will work with industry partners to create clearer pathways from training programs into careers, particularly for commercial electricians, where labor shortages are among the most acute.

Key areas of involvement include:

• Connecting students with employers and project opportunities tied to major energy and infrastructure investments.
• Supporting community colleges and workforce programs through Duke Energy Foundation investments.
• Expanding training capacity in regions experiencing significant construction activity.
• Increasing student awareness of electrical careers through career fairs, graduation events, and industry engagement.

Over the past five years, Duke Energy Foundation funding has provided more than $6 million to support workforce development and strengthen the energy talent pipeline.

Building a North Carolina Blueprint

The coalition’s early efforts will focus on creating scalable models that can be replicated across the country.

In North Carolina, the initiative includes two primary workforce pathways.

The first focuses on high schools, where organizers expect to train between 200 and 250 students beginning in 2026, with annual growth planned in future years.

The second centers on the state’s community college system. Ten North Carolina community colleges will expand existing advanced electrician programs by approximately 20% over the next three years, creating additional capacity to meet employer demand.

The initiative reflects a broader shift occurring across workforce development efforts. Historically, many workforce programs tied to economic development focused on preparing workers to operate facilities after construction was complete. Today’s labor market requires an expanded approach that also addresses the skilled trades workforce needed to build and maintain those facilities.

As North Carolina continues to attract billions of dollars in investment, the availability of electricians, welders, pipefitters, technicians, and other skilled craft professionals is increasingly becoming a determining factor in project success.

Industry Collaboration

According to Kendal Bowman, Duke Energy’s North Carolina president, workforce development is essential to supporting both the state’s growth and the ongoing energy transition.

“The energy transition and our state’s growth depend on a strong skilled workforce,” Bowman said. “This initiative is about creating clear, accessible pathways into high-paying electrical careers, especially those that don’t require a four-year degree, and helping build a pipeline of electricians ready to support North Carolina’s future.”

David Etzwiler, CEO of the Siemens Foundation, emphasized the importance of industry-wide collaboration.

“High-quality workforce training is essential not only to meet employers’ growing demand for skilled talent, but also to expand access to well-paying trade careers for more Americans,” Etzwiler said. “Seeing industry leaders, including competitor companies, come together as part of this coalition underscores just how important workforce training is to the strength of our economies and communities.”

A Model for the Future

Duke Energy joins a coalition that includes ABB, Amazon Web Services, JetZero, Hitachi Energy, Siemens, workforce development organizations, educational institutions, and state partners.

North Carolina participants include the NC Chamber, NC Department of Commerce, NC Electric Cooperatives, NC Business Committee for Education, Wake Technical Community College, the North Carolina Community College System, EVITP, and the Families and Workers Fund.

For the construction industry, the initiative represents an important evolution in workforce development. As project pipelines continue to grow across energy, manufacturing, and infrastructure sectors, success will increasingly depend on collaboration among owners, contractors, educators, workforce agencies, and industry partners.

The Careers Electric coalition is betting that a coordinated approach can help close the skilled labor gap and create a sustainable pipeline of talent capable of supporting North Carolina’s next generation of growth.